Mangaluru City Corporation Elects Manoj Kumar as Mayor and Banumathi as Deputy Mayor

Manoj Kumar from Derebail Ward has been chosen as the new Mayor of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), with Banumathi from Bolar Ward as Deputy Mayor. The elections took place on Thursday, and Kumar's selection was unopposed due to the mayoral position being reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate. Kumar, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was the sole nominee.

The Congress party did not present any candidates for the mayoral role, as they lacked eligible members. Regional Commissioner Ramesh officially announced Kumar as the Mayor. For the Deputy Mayor position, three candidates initially competed: Zeenat Shamshuddin from Congress, and Bhanumathi P.S. and Vanita Prasad from BJP. Although all nominations were valid, Vanita Prasad later withdrew.

Deputy Mayor Election Results

In the final voting for Deputy Mayor, Bhanumathi received 47 votes from BJP members, while Zeenat Shamshuddin secured 14 votes from Congress members. One member from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) chose not to vote. Consequently, Bhanumathi was elected as Deputy Mayor.

The new leadership is anticipated to guide MCC's administration with a focus on improving civic services and local development. The tenure for both the new mayor and deputy mayor will last only six months, as the council's term concludes in March 2025.